Sports

By Matt Gault BBC Sport NI in Marseille

IRELAND and France may have avoided each other during the Rugby World Cup, but Friday’s meeting promises to write another gripping chapter in this heavy-hitting rivalry and launch this year’s Six Nations in spectacular style.

In the past couple of years, this fixture has been unmissable. It has been the Six Nations at its loudest and most captivating: full of big hits, roars and scores.

In 2022, France won a pulsating Stade de France battle to take control of the title race.

They ultimately ended that tournament with the Grand Slam, but 12 months on they stepped aside as Ireland exacted revenge in a Dublin classic en route to a clean sweep of their own.

But a lot has happened since these blue and green juggernauts last collided.

Both still carry the lingering hurt from shattered World Cup dreams. Having beaten eventual winners South Africa in the group stage, Ireland again fell to the All Blacks in a bruising quarter-final.

Hosts France were knocked out 24 hours later, edged out by the Springboks in a quarter-final for the ages. Neither team have played since. The journey here has had no shortage of sombre reflection.

There are changes to key personnel, too. While Ireland captain Johnny Sexton’s post-World Cup retirement had been signposted long in advance, French skipper Antoine Dupont’s decision to skip the Six Nations and chase on his Olympic dream in the Sevens code shook his country.

While those developments rob this fixture of two of its most talked-about protagonists, it paves the way for new stars to emerge and for new storylines to be written at Stade Velodrome on Friday.

Back to business for Ireland

While another miserable World Cup exit and the loss of one of their greatest ever players have been heavy burdens to carry, Ireland have been keen to avoid talk of ‘fresh starts’ and ‘new eras’.

For them, this is straight back to business as they go in search of back-to-back Grand Slams, which would be a first in the Six Nations era.

Head coach Andy Farrell does not see this year as the start of a new four-year cycle, but rather the continuation of the journey which has tested his charges in every possible way since he took over in 2019.

Farrell, who will miss next year’s championship to oversee the British and Irish Lions’ tour to Australia, is readying a largely familiar team, with Joe McCarthy and Calvin Nash the only Six Nations debutants.

It is a strong team, too. While Garry Ringrose’s injury is a blow, Robbie Henshaw is there to take his place and while McCarthy may only be 22, he has graced the World Cup stage and has put up some exceptional numbers for Leinster in recent months.

The Sexton succession plan is two-pronged. But while new captain Peter O’Mahony is long enough in the tooth not to shiver at the hulking size of the French pack, there is no escaping the idea that this is a massive night for Jack Crowley.

Think of how some of the Irish greats have used France games to put their names up in lights. Brian O’Driscoll’s hat-trick in 2000, Sexton’s drop-goal in 2018. Friday can be Crowley’s turn to come of age on French soil.

Even if they’ve never played in Marseille before, this Ireland team know how to win and know how to embrace the intensity of these big nights.

So, too, do France. Even shorn of Dupont’s mercurial talents and still-injured Romain Ntamack’s guile from out-half, Fabien Galthie’s side still pack a serious punch and are considered by many as championship favourites.

Bordeaux’s Maxime Lucu again deputises for Dupont having fulfilled that role at the World Cup when Dupont was injured, while full-back Thomas Ramos, Mathieu Jalibert and Yoram Moefana have all been in fine form for their clubs this season.

And with experienced back rower Gregory Alldritt assuming captaincy duties and try-scoring machine Damian Penaud – who has crossed a remarkable 13 times in his past eight outings for France – starting, France look in good shape.

These two mighty teams have given us so many spellbinding Six Nations games down the years. The stage may be different but Friday’s curtain-raiser is sure to suck us back in all over again.

It is not fair to call this a championship decider. It is, however, definitely a match of considerable stakes, myriad subplots and one that will send a signal to the other challengers.

Whether that signal is blue or green remains to be seen, but it feels like the latest Six Nations show is about to kick off in a big, big way.

T.S

-February 2, 2024 @ 9:03 GMT|

Tags: Peter O'Mahony